Brisbane Roar striker Dimitri Petratos scores goal to beat Central Coast Mariners

DIMITRI Petratos responded to his axing from Brisbane’s starting team with a late goal that delivered the Roar a 1-0 win over Central Coast.

A-League Rd 11 - Central Coast v Brisbane

AN angry Dimitri Petratos took his frustration out on Central Coast Mariners on Sunday with a superb strike that delivered Brisbane a 1-0 win in Gosford.

Dropped to the bench after eight successive starts, Petratos responded in the best way possible with a match-defining 19-minute cameo after replacing Henrique.

In a dreary match desperately needing spark, Petratos provided it with a peach of a goal in the 85th minute.

Unleashing from the edge of the area, his curling strike was too good for hapless Mariners goalkeeper Paul Izzo.

Petratos’s second goal of the season was enough to secure Brisbane back-to-back wins, move them back into second spot on the A-League ladder and cut first-placed Western Sydney’s lead to just two points.

“Dimi was upset not to start this game but he didn’t drop his head,” Roar coach John Aloisi said.

“He made sure when he came on, he made a difference. That’s what you want from your players when they come on.”

Aloisi admitted it wasn’t one of Brisbane’s more memorable performances, particularly as they were widely expected to cruise to victory against the competition’s worst team.

Brisbane Roar players celebrate Dimitri Petratos’ goal at Central Coast Stadium.

But desperate to avoid a fifth-straight loss, the Mariners abandoned their all-out attacking style, instead sitting back, defending deeply and trying to frustrate a too often timid Roar out of the contest.

“We didn’t expect from them to really sit off deep, slow the game down, stop the game and we struggled to get the ball speed up because the pitch was dry and sticky,” Aloisi said.

“But we were patient and we kept on moving the ball, and in the second half we opened up a little bit more and we deserved the win, but these games are never easy.

“We have to come up solutions when teams play like that and we did.

“If we scored earlier on it would have made it a lot easier for us but the boys didn’t stop believing and it’s always good to score late on in a game because it shows that the belief is there.”

Anthony Caceres and Harry Ascroft of the Mariners react after a goal by Josh Rose was disallowed.

Despite the late joy, the Roar have injury concerns heading into next Sunday’s Suncorp Stadium showdown with Melbourne City, who had temporarily replaced Brisbane in second spot after their 2-1 win over Melbourne Victory on Saturday night.

Key striker Jamie Maclaren was replaced 10 minutes into the second half yesterday with a shin injury, while midfielder Steve Lustica, who had earned a recall to the starting team at the expense of Petratos, lasted only the first half before succumbing to an abdominal strain.

“I’m not sure how Steve’s going to pull up,” Aloisi said.

“Jamie’s was more of a knock. The doctor’s seen it and he’s starting to feel better. We’ve got a seven-day turnaround now so there’s time.”

Originally published as Brisbane Roar striker Dimitri Petratos scores goal to beat Central Coast Mariners